There was the attack itself. It was hardly a laughing matter when he allegedly poisoned the trees in downtown Auburn.

But it became a gift-wrapped bit of monologue for national comedians, perfect fodder for national columnists who are quite willing to make note of the absurd lengths some fans in this state have gone to turn a rivalry into a lifestyle.

It didn't help Updyke when it was learned he was such an avid Alabama fan he named his children Crimson Tyde and Bear Bryant.

Updyke had anonymously taken credit for it in February on a call to Paul Finebaum's radio show, then he was finally revealed as the caller and charged with first-degree criminal mischief.

Now, the question: If the trees pull through, does he get off on a lesser charge? Attempted tree murder? asked somebody in the office.

He made an encore Finebaum appearance Thursday.

"One of the biggest mistakes I ever made in my life," Updyke said of the incident. "All my adult life my wives kinda said I'm a crap-stirrer. I like to stir crap. I was just trying to upset the Auburn nation."

His days in court are starting. He had a routine preliminary hearing on Wednesday in Lee County District Court. His case is being sent to a grand jury, which meets May 2.

On his way home from court Wednesday, Updyke claims he was assaulted outside an Auburn convenience store. He said he was knocked unconscious.

"He woke up on the ground. He had been hit in the head with something," his attorney Glennon Threatt said. He was treated for some small abrasions.